Air Tran or Southwest?

[Minniegirl71]

We are flying into MCO from Milwaukee in November. I have not flown either one and don't know which one we should use. Any info/help is wonderfull. I will be flying with my 3 kids - 20,15,10. Thank you for any help you can give me.

 

[Cmbar]

Well both are part of Resort Airline Checkin at the resorts so you won't have to deal with luggage on either side of your trip. Southwest just joined recently.

Southwest doesn't charge for checked luggage unless you are over the pound limit or piece limit which I believe is still two per traveler.

Southwest lets you rebook, cancel or change your flights with no penalities. If you cancel or rebook your flight for a cheaper fare you get to use that left over money on travel (for anyone) within a year of the purchase date. We have traveled many times on "left over" money at Southwest because we keep rebooking each time our flights go down.

Southwest will not have assigned seats. You will be given a boarding pass assignment based on when you check in for your flight, you should do this right at the 24 hour mark to get the best boarding assignment. They now allow you to buy for $10 an early bird check in which they will check you in and guarantee an A or B boarding pass.

0People then board based on their boarding pass assignments and you pick your own seats. It sounds daunting but it really isnt. (I would recommend spending the extra $40 (for your family of four) to get early bird check in for your return from MCO so you don't have to worry about checking in while at WDW.


Airtran does charge for luggage and I believe there is a $50 fee for any changes to your flight.

You can pay to get assigned seats. Your fares are different based on this.

Airtran has been known to change flight times.

I have not flown Airtran,so I really can't comment. Maybe someone who has flown them can give you the nitty gritty!

Good luck!

 

[Missytara]

Prefer Airtran over Southwest, and my flights have never been changed in the past ten years.

Also, sometimes Airtran can be less than Southwest, depending on when you go, even with the seat fee and first baggage fee. Last year, with all that, my flight was still $50.00 less with Airtran.

I also picked Airtran over Southwest, because of the RAC, which is a moot point now that they both participate in it.

 

[wdwnut76]

I'm not an expert with either of these airlines...but I think I did read something the other day about Southwest having the highest "bumped passenger" rate of any American airline. I don't know if it's true, but you might want to do some reseach on it.

 

[Flipper]

We usually fly Southwest, but this year we flew Airtran for the first time and it was a great experience. I am not a fan of paying for bags and seats, but their fares were far lower than Southwest and the nonstop flights were the perfect time for us. I just factored in the price of the bags and seats and it was still a lot less than Southwest. Our flight was never changed (booked in Jan for end of April trip). We did not pay for seats on the way down and I checked in at the 24 hour mark and got 4 seats together up front. I did pay for seats on the way back, so I would not have to worry about checking in while we were at Disney. It was so worth it...the flight was completely full.

 

[Inkmahm]

I also fly to MCO from Milwaukee. I fly Airtran non-stop flights at times that are good for me. SW tends to be more expensive with poorer flight times.

I always pay for exit row seats on Airtran or upgrade to business class to have comfortable seats. I don't think this is possible to do on SW.

If fares decrease, Airtran also gives a credit to my Airtran account.

Airtran DOES tend to change times on their flights. I use that to my advantage if I want to change flights. I can change without paying a fee when Airtran changes their times.

 

[dacky041208]

Go with whatever airline gives you the better time for the better price. Just make sure you add up any fees to make an even comparison. Plenty of people (myself included) have had AT change their flights, and plenty of people hate the SW boarding procedure. Cmbar did a good job of listing the pros/cons, but ultimately, I'd go with the better flight time/price.

 

[disneyfanUSA]

Go with whatever airline gives you the better time for the better price. Just make sure you add up any fees to make an even comparison. Plenty of people (myself included) have had AT change their flights, and plenty of people hate the SW boarding procedure. Cmbar did a good job of listing the pros/cons, but ultimately, I'd go with the better flight time/price.

I agree - check the prices. For us Sw has been better lately. I have gotten some great fares with no baggage fees. The boarding procedure is fine for me. I just make sure I check in exactly 24 hours in advance. I have flown Airtran too and not had any problems, but that was before they started charging for baggage.

 

[Lizzybee]

We have flown both Airtran and SW in the past. Both were fine, no troubles. I live smack dab between Chicago and Milwaukee so I search both and the best price / time combination was nonstop SW out of Milwaukee to MCO. The flights were cheaper, plus the no charge for the luggage is extra money we don't have to pay. I can fly out of O'Hare, Midway or General Mitchell, but I prefer General Mitchell.

 

[Minniegirl71]

Thank you all for your help and information. It has helped me greatly. I guess I will wait for SW to release the fares for the dates that I need and compare to what AT has at that time. I don't think that will be that long of a wait. I will keep checking back here for your great advice in the days and weeks to come.

Thanks again.

 

[My 2 princesses]

Does AT give you credit like SWA does if the price goes down?

 

[Cmbar]

Thank you all for your help and information. It has helped me greatly. I guess I will wait for SW to release the fares for the dates that I need and compare to what AT has at that time. I don't think that will be that long of a wait. I will keep checking back here for your great advice in the days and weeks to come.

Thanks again.

No Problem minniegirl! Welcome to the Boards! You will find an incredible amount of information and some very friendly and helpful people!

When are you going in November? For some reason SW released the first five days of November this past Tuesday. Of course we need to book on Nov 6th for our return from our cruise!! UGH! Anyways, they state they will open the dates for November on June 10th. But I am going to be watching closely to see if they start opening a week at a time. I hope so! I can't wait to book.

Also, Did you see the post on the Budget board on how to get a 25$ coupon for a RT flight prior to Dec 1. Not sure what your dates are in November so not sure if you would be in the blackout dates for Thanksgiving.

Here is the link to that post. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2454931&highlight=southwest


The coupon seems to be good for $25 off EACH person on your reservation. So it could save you $100 if your dates fit!

Good luck! I signed up yesterday and now waiting for my promo code!

 

[HsvTeacher]

Does AT give you credit like SWA does if the price goes down?

I was able to get a credit this morning, because our flight prices went down. It's in a credit account that can be used toward future flights within one year.

 

[My 2 princesses]

I was able to get a credit this morning, because our flight prices went down. It's in a credit account that can be used toward future flights within one year.

Thank you! So it's just like SWA. Now to book or to wait

 

[dawnmommy]

we booked AT out of Milwaukee for our November trip, on a day when RT fares were $171 with direct flights. AT will credit you if the fare drops lower, just as SW does. So I agree, just compare prices and times and go with what works best

Your kids are older, so seating is less of an issue. We are traveling with 2 little ones, so I had pretty specific seats in mind. I love being able to select them on AT (and even with paying for the seats, they were way cheaper than anyone else at the time out of Milwaukee or O'Hare). I cannot handle the stress of unassigned seats like SW, lol. But again, that is mainly because my kids are so young.

 

[Cmbar]

Thank you! So it's just like SWA. Now to book or to wait

Question: Is this only if the flight you booked goes down? On southwest you can cancel, rebook and change without penalty and then also use any money you saved by doing that in the future

In other words if I booked for a flight on July 10th and I decide it is better and cheaper for us to fly out on July 9th I can change my flights and still get the money for later without any penalty. I can even change airports (since Dulles if equally as close to us as Baltimore). I love the flexibility.

Does AirTran allow that? They are usually the same price out of Baltimore as Southwest so with fees for seats and luggage they end up being more, but I would like to keep the option open if they end up being competitive. But I always thought you would be charged for any changes to your flight choices.

Thanks!

 

[HsvTeacher]

Question: Is this only if the flight you booked goes down? On southwest you can cancel, rebook and change without penalty and then also use any money you saved by doing that in the future

In other words if I booked for a flight on July 10th and I decide it is better and cheaper for us to fly out on July 9th I can change my flights and still get the money for later without any penalty. I can even change airports (since Dulles if equally as close to us as Baltimore). I love the flexibility.

Does AirTran allow that? They are usually the same price out of Baltimore as Southwest so with fees for seats and luggage they end up being more, but I would like to keep the option open if they end up being competitive. But I always thought you would be charged for any changes to your flight choices.

Thanks!

I didn't change or cancel my flight. Everything but the price stayed the same, so I was able to get a credit. AirTran charges you $75 to change flights. If I remember correctly, they give you a credit if you have to cancel.

 

[Minniegirl71]

Thanks for the welcome. We are going Nov 10-16. I will have to go and check out the Budget Board and see what I can find. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[NancyIL]

I didn't change or cancel my flight. Everything but the price stayed the same, so I was able to get a credit. AirTran charges you $75 to change flights. If I remember correctly, they give you a credit if you have to cancel.

If you have to cancel your AirTran ticket, you will get a credit for the amount of the ticket minus the $75 change fee.

 

[Cmbar]

Thanks for the welcome. We are going Nov 10-16. I will have to go and check out the Budget Board and see what I can find. Thanks for the heads up.

It is really easy and you don't have to sign up for anything which I loved! Just send yourself a Invite.

Also, you will love going to Disney on those dates! We love that time of year and the Christmas decorations will be up and don't miss out on the Osbourne lights. They are amazing! We have gone that time of year and the crowds are real low and weather is usually perfect! Have a wonderful trip!